Shaft-packing.



N5; 876,613. I 'PATENTBD JAN. 14, 1903; J. WILKINSON.

SHAFT PACKING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7,1906.

Subentoz warmmb 413' v rotation, will UNITED s'rA'rEs arana onrron.

JAMES WILKINSON, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO WILKIN$ON TURBINE COMPANY, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, CORPORATION OF ALABAMA.

- srrnrr-racmne.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 14, lacs.

Application filed May 7. 190i)? Serial No. 3154367.;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES WILKINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State My invention relates to a liquid seal pack-i ing for revoluble shafts of turbines and ro-' 10 tary motors.

The object of my invention is to produce a liquid seal acking, without positive metal contacts, WllCll is applicable to vertical or horizontal shafts which are reversible as to ack against pressure either way with equa effectiveness, will produce no end thrust on the shaft, will waste no liquid and will automatically maintain itself properly primed.

In its preferred form my invention comprises a rotatable li' uid seal ring mounted with a slip fit on a shaft andchambered to receive a disk fixed on the shaft. The. ring rotates in a packin chamber, normally filled with liquid, an cooperates with said liquid in a novel manner, hereinafter more particularly described, to maintain itself practically in equilibrium and to effectively seal the joints in the packing against leakage.

A further object is to provide the packing with anautomatic priming apparatus to maintain itprope'rly supplied with sealing liquid. I A further object is to adapt the packing to act with both mercury and water as .the seal- 'ing medium, the mercury serving the im- .portant function of draining the} chamberedring i of water when the packingis out of n and arrangement of parts which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:'' I I Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view'through the packing chamber in the headof a' horizontal turbine, the packing ring'being shown partly in section. Fig. 2 ,"is an end view of a portion of the water seal ring mounted on the shaft and indicating the grooves and I local circulationports. Fig. 3.1m sectional view along the line w+-.r, Fig. 1', reduced in size and illustrating the body of mercury in I the ring when at rest. Fig. 4, is a view corr m s to gowing my invention a s5 apphedto a vertical shaft. it

liorizontal turbine, the exhaust hers which-communicate around the periphcham er.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts, throughout the drawings.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, my improved acking or stuffing-box is shown a' plied to a ead- 1 of which is provided with anannular chamber 2 surrounding the revoluble shaft 3, which passes centrally therethrougln A two part cap or closure 4 is bolted to the head and forms they outer endclosure for the packing.

chamber, being flanged at 5'to form a separate annular chamber 6 for a centrifugal slinger 7 which catches the leakage'so that it flows off throu h a drip assage 8.. ,The

shaft-is reduced opposite t e center of the chamber '2 to form a shoulder 9, against whichan annular disk 10 is pressed, by means of a sleeve 11 and nut 12, so as" to form a tight joint therewith and rotate with the shaft, the nutbeing in threaded engage ment with a reduced threaded portion of the shaft. The sleeve 11 is preferably of the same external diameter as theshoulder 9..

"Within the chamber 2 is aliquid seal ring formed in two halves l4 and 15 which'are of so similar design} except that the axially disposed flange of the section 15 is reduced and threaded so as to screw into a similarly disposed internally threaded flange of the sec tion 14. This liquid seal ring fits theshaft 35 and sleeve loosely, the section 15' being slidabl connected to the shaft by an axial spline or ey 16 whichcauses the ring to rotate with the shaft butleaves it free to slip axially thereon. The inner shaft engaging portions or hubs 17 of the ringextend inwardly to-' 'wards the disk 10, leaving, however, ample.

axial clearance on each side of said disk to prevent contact between it and the ring. A

small radial clearance is left between the 5 outer periphery of the disk and the inner Wall the ring chamber, :the interior of which is thus divided into two annular chariicry of said disk. I v p The liquid seal ring is rovided with two oppositely dis osed annu ar clearance faces 18 and 19 in t e side faces of the sections 14 and 15; respectively- These lateral-faces start at the shaft, and extend partway toits wards the peri hery of the ring which is reduced above t em to provide a circulation passe e between the mug and the packing The faces18 and 19 stand normally inclose proximity to the'adjacent side 1 10 I walls of the packing chamber which arh faced ofl parallel with said faces. Both of the ring faces are ada ted to co-act with .the chamber- Walls to pac in the, manner hereinafter described by'a liquid sealed joint as contrasted with a friction or rubbing contact. The ring clearance on each side may be adjusted,

through the screw'connections between the ring sections, so as to bring the faces 18 andposed in the hub section 17 of each ring nextto the shaft. Thepurpose of these ports 21 .and 22 is to provide for a circulation through 'the ring faces to perfect the liquid seal'joint and also to prevent a, difference of pressure existing between the inside and outside of" either r ng face to unduly unbalance it.

The apparatus as thus describedmust be ..flushe d with water or other sealing liquid and T is pi e is provided with avalve 24 and dis maint'ained'primed since the liquid must-be de ended u on to seal the joint between the 10 and the ring, and -.to,lubricate and seal the joint betweenthe face 18-or 19 and the chamber 3.. To this end I provide a sup- ;ply pipe 23 leading from a suitable source of i uld, as water, under the required pressure.

' cou le to a pipe 25 which enters the casing .26 or the automatic priming valve 27. This alve maybe of any desired construction, that 'shown consisting of a hollow piston valve connected on one side to an operating stem 2.8 and on the other'side to a graduated stem 29 which p qipcts out of the casing through a gland 30. e stem 28 for the valve is connected to a fluid pressure controlled flexible dia hragm31 which is clamped between two dis -shaped sections 32 and 33, thus forming a divided controller chamber.- The section 32 is formed as a part of the valve casing 26 and the section 33 is provided with a tubular nipple 34 which is inserted into the outer end of a passage 35 formed in the head 1' and leading at right angles therethroughinto the chamber 2 opposite the outer periphery vof the faceYIQ. A ort 36leads through the valvecasing and, y means of a cou 1mg 37,

v communicates with a assag 38 which leads through the head an cap1 55 4 and opens into the chamber 2 0 posite t e outer periphery of -the face 18; t will thus'be seen that the diaphragm 31in the valve controllin chain-- ber is exposed on o posite sides to t e'pressures existing at di erent oints in the stuff ing-box or preferably at t e clearance faces of the ring. In some cases a'spring or other force maybe used to counteract the pressure from the sealing liquid exerted to operate the valve.

Before admitting water to the packing, I

mercu couple to pipe 25, a'valve 41 bein provided prefer to introduce a body of mercury 39 into the disk chamber in the ring, as shown lIlFlg.

' 3, this body bein sufficient, when in rotation,

water in the disk chamber will be subjected to two opposing influences, the centrifugal effect of its rapid rotation which tends to "force them towards the periphery of the ring chamber, and the differences in pressure existing on opposite sides of the disk which tend to force the liquids. around the disk and ring into'or out of the turbine. i

Assuming that the disk is operating between the atmospheric pressure p of approximately fifteen pounds and a vacuum which lJGIIdItO force andthe vacuum V to draw the liquid sealing mediuin around the disk and .into the right hand ring chamber until a suf iicie'nt excess quantitythereof exists in said chamber to 'counterbalance by its centrifugal action, the action of said pressures and prevent further axial circulation around the periphery of the .disk, This annular body of mercury and water, under centrifugal ressure, will therefore eflectivel around the disk in the ring chamber, sealing the joint and compelling any leakage to take effect past the faces 18 and 19 around the ring. Ilhis excessvbodyof mercury and water performs another important function, i. e. to balance the disk 10 and thereby avoid end thrust on the shaft. To further increase the effectiveness of this joint and also the balancing thrust of the liquids, I may introduce an extra' body of mercury 39? into the ring chamber by means of a pipe 40, supplied wit under the required pressure and in thepipe 40. Thus as-seen in ig. 1, the excess. bodies of water and mercury in the right hand disk chamber are indicated- The centrifugal effect on these'bodiesprodu'ces a thrust to the left on the disk which substantially equals or balances theeffect of the high pressureA against the exposed portion of the disk. By thus balancing the disk it will also be seen that the ring is internally balanced. The ports 21 and 22 prevent a difference of pressure existing bdtween the iri'side and outside of either face 18 or 19 .of the-ring. As pressure A or V varies, a shifting of the liquid sealing medium will be necessary to meet the change in pressure conditions. V The mercury, being of much greater density. than the water, will: prevent the shifting of the water around the disk, though the body of mercury will adjust itself as the may be regarded as zero, the pressure A will resist lea age clearance faces,

changes in pressure occur. The water, therefore, in passing from one to the other of the disk chambers in'the ring, must flow around the rin through the circumferential passage forme between the ring, above the In the construction shown, the joint between the ring and chamber will be effectively sealed at the face 19,'the pressure of the liquid surrounding the [ring being substantially that of A. The tendency of the pres-J in the ports 21, as seen inFig. 1, indicate the local circulation or action caused by centrifu lower the opposite 1 valve 27 to open and sup sure to force or the vacuum to draw the wa-' 'ter inthis outside passage intotheturbine is prevented by the, local action which takes place at the face 19. As the water tends to flow through the clearance between the face 19 and the chamber, due to the draft of the vacuum, it will be deflected, as it enters the successive grooves 20, through the ports- 2 into thering chamber, as this offers the path of least resistance. Thus, assuming that the pressureof the water at the outermost groove in the face 19 is .at fifteen pounds, or atmospheric pressure, that in the next inner groove will be reduced approximately fifty per cent. that in the next inner groove will be reduced almost to the vacuum, and that in the other grooves will be at vacuum. The small arrows gal action of water drawn into the ring. This local action of the water acts in conjunction with the closely opposed faces of the ring and chamber'to effectively seal the joint between them, thereby preventing the leakage between the pressures A and V and Waste of the water. Were V the higher pressurethis same action would take place at the face 18. I

The importance of maintaining the packing primed withwater and of rapidlyrestoring the water in case it is blown. out, is obvious. This is provided for in my con struction by, the automatic action of the valve 27, Whenthe packing is primed'and in operation, as shown in Fig. '1, the dis- 7 packing becomes reduced too much foreffective action, it will be read-I tween the face "19 and chamber 2 to gradually ressure in the outer groove 20 w ichthe passage 35iopens. causes a loweringof thepressu're in the passage 135 and .in the right hand side of the diaphragmchamber. The pressure A which acts against the ""leftwhand side of thediaphragm will force it to theu'ight'and move acking chamber.

- immediately to recharge the packing:

and the walls of the chamber.

when the turbine is not in operation.

temperature position in 11y seenfthat the vacuum will take effect benular chamber, and .a liqui 1y water to the Shoul the liquid be lown from the packing, the vacuum take instantaneous effect in the-diaphragm chamberand the valve will be thrown open said s sit and revoluble therewith in said stem 29 so as to indicate the position of the valve. Bymeans of this stemthe valve 27 may be opened by hand when necessary.

Water and excess mercury may be drained from the chamber 2 through a cock 43, and

excess water from the clearance around the ring is drainedofi through a passages to a trap or the condenser. Any water tending to leak. outwardly along the sleeve is caught by the centrifug'alslinger 7 in the chamber 6 and drained off through the passage 8.

The body of mercury in the rmg, as shown in Fig. 3, should bemaintained suflicient in quantity to cause all of the water to drain out of the packing ring through the port? {1 21 is is of considerable advantage, as otherwise the packing would have to be opened and the.

water drawn off to revent its freezing, same function is .o tained by the mercury in Fig. 4, where I have illustrated my invention as applied toa vertical turbine, it being evident that the parts will act as elfectively in vertical as in horizontal machines.

The packing asthus described is reversible as to rotation of shaft, will pack in a vertical or horizontal position and in either direction end thrust on the shaft, has no injurious metal contacts and is fully lubricated atall points- It will further be noticedthat where the body ofmcrcury is used it is maintained cool by a waterjacket around the ring which since mercury boils at a low and might disturb the, seal disk. There is comparatively is important around the a little loss of liquid in the operation of this packing and the; valve acts automatically to supply liquid when' and in the quantity needer. i

In certain designs I may dispense with the use of mercury and use Water only, and I may make the groove 20 in the form of a single, spiral of numerous turns ins plurahty of concentric grooves. In which case the liquid would circulate over the disk 1'0 instead. of locally as at face 19..

against'a difference in pressure, will cause no tead of a I What I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is 2-- In a revoluble shaft packing, the com ,bination witha revoluble shaft, of a stationary closure surrounding the shaft, a revolu-ble element mounted with said shaft and disposed in said closure, an annular chamber in said element, a disk fixed on said shaft and dis osed in said an sealing medium to packthesjoints between said element and the'diskland closure. i i

; 2. In a'revoluble shaftpacking, the combination with a stationa packing chamber, of a revoluble shaft w ich passes there- .throu h, "a ring mounted with a slip lit on chamber, said ring. having one or more work--v a slip fit on.

1 closure, and means to substantially ing faces which co-act with the walls of said chamber, an annular chamber in said ring, sealing liquid in and around said ring, and a rotatable disk which cooperates with said liquid to substantially axially balance itself and the ring. a

3. In a revoluble shaft-packing, the combination with a stationarycasingsupplied with liquid, of a revoluble casing also supplied with liquid, a revoluble shaft surrounded by said casings which are disposed one within the other, and a disk fixed with a pressure tight joint to said shaft and partly submerged in the liquid in said revoluble casing.

4., The combination with an internally chambered ring, of a revoluble shaft on which said ring is mounted with a slip fit,

a closure which receives said ring, working faces on the ring adapted to co-act with the-opposite side walls of said closure, a

liquid surrounding said ring and adapted to seal the clearance between said faces and axially balancethe said ring.

5. In a revoluble shaft. packing, the combination with a shaft, of an annularly chambered ring mounted with a slip fit on said shaft and revoluble therewith; a circumferential slot in the inner wall of the ring, a revoluble disk mounted pressure tight on the shaft and adapted to enter the ring cham ber through said slot, ample axial clearance being left between the ring'and disk, a stationary casing in which said ring rotates with close axial clearances, and a liquid sealing medium in said casing and ring which cooperates with said parts, as and for the purposes described.

6. A revoluble shaft packing comprising a shaft, a stationary chamber casing, a liquid seal ring in said casi an inwardly opening annular groove in sai ring, an annular pro-- jection on the shaft which enters said groove, a liquid in and around sa d ring, and one or more close axial clearances between the ring and casing which is or aresealed by said 'parts combined with a rotatin 1 parts,

' 8. A stuffing box comprising a closurecontaining liquid, aliquid seal ring in said chamber, packing faces on the ring and closure, one of which faces is fixed and the other of -which rotates with close lateral clearances relatively to said fixed face, and a plurality of local circulation passages for the sealing liquid in one of said faces, saidliquid intersaid faces being free of axial adjustment with said shaft.

10. In a liquid acking, the combination with a revoluble s aft-and a packing 0' amber therefor, of a revoluble c ambere ring disposed in said packing chamber and having a lateral face which co-acts with a wall of 1 said chamber, liquid in said chamber tb seal the joint between said face and wall, and pressure equalizing ports leading said face into the interior of the ring.

11, In a packing, a revoluble shaft, a casing surrounding said shaft, a revoluble chambered ring axially adjustable on said shaft and disposed in saidcasing, said ring having a lateral face which co-acts with a wall of said casing, a body of liquid in saidcasing which seals the joint between said face and wall, a plurality of concentric circular grooves in said face, and ports leading from each groove into'the interior of said rin 12. In a packing, a revoluble shaft, a casing surrounding said shaft, a revoluble chambered ring axially adjustable on said shaft through and disposed in said casin saidring having lateral contact faces whic co-act with the oppositejside walls 'of said casing, a body of liquid in said casing which surrounds said ring and acts to seal the oint between said face or faces in said casing, said faces being provided With curved grooves, ports leading from said grooves into the interior of the rin and means disposed within the ring whic co-act with the liquid therein and tends to balance said rin 13. The comIvination with a revoluble shaft, and a liquid stufiing-box therefor com- I prising a closure, elements therein and a rotatmg body ofl'iquid which intervenes and forms a joint between said elements,b0 th of which rotate with said shaft, of an'apparatus to automatically maintain said closure primed with liquid, which comprisesa liquid supply passage, and a valve therefore which responds automatically to pressure conditions at two pointsin said stufiing-box.

j 14. A. packing for a rotating shaft comprising a closure containing'liquid and aliquid seal ring within saidclosure, lateral co-acting faces on said ring and closure, one of which faces rotates on said shaft and the joint between which and said other face is sealed by said liquid, in combination with a supply passage for said sealing liquid, and an automatic' supply valve for said passage which an element'connected to said shaft and'ex-' moves res onsive to pressure conditions betweensai faces. m

15. A shaft packing comprlsing a casing provided with an annular chamber for receivjng a liquid .which surrounds'said shaft,

tending within saidchamber andinto the liquid therein, a liquid supply passage for saidchamber, and an automatic supply valve therein sensitive to pressures on opposite 5 sides of said element. g k

1 6. The combination with a liquid seal packing com rising a packing chamber containingliqui a'revoluble shaft which passes t'hroughsaid chamber, and a revoluble liquid seal ring mounted with a slip fit on said shaft .and'moving with close lateral clearances in said chamber, of an automatic priming ap;

- paratus comprising a valve sensitive to vari- 81310115 in pressure at sald lateral sealing clearances and controlling a supply of 'liqui to said chamber. a 4

17. A shaftpacking comprising a casing rovided with a chamber for receiving a ody of liquid, a revoluble shaft, a liruid seal ring revoluble with said shaft and isposed in said chamber, lateral faces on the ring curved grooves,- a free clearance between the chamber in the ring, (p from said grooves, a

which move in close proximity to the side walls of saidchamber and are provided with periphery of the ring and casing, an annular orts leadin thereinto i'sk and b0 y of liquid in said ring, passages leading fromopposite the outer grooves of each face to a valve conthe sup ly of ii uid to sai liquid in said chamber an L shaft, an annular projection on said shaft troller'chamber, a -li uid supply valve, and

means in said control er chamber tooperate said valve automatically responsive to pres-.

sure conditionsat-said ring faces and control casing chamber.

18. be com ination with a revoluble shaft, of a stufling-box therefor comprisinga chamber in a fixed casing, a body of liquid therein, a chambered ring which enters said which enters the chamber in said ring, and liquids of different specific gravities in said ring chamber which respond to centrifugal force and seal the joint between rojectlon and ring, said-liquids in and around said ring being adapted to' fiow'from one side to the other of saidring and projection.

19,. A stufiing-box for rotating shafts compn'singa fixed chamber, a'rotatable annularly chambered element therein containin and a lighter liquidfiuid, a'dis which as its periphery submerged in both said bodies of liquid when said element is moving, and means to provide for an axial ports in the sidewalls of said ring,

- ring, substantial revolves with-said circulation of said lighter liquid around said element.

'20. A stu'ifing-boxfor rotating shaftscomprising. a casing surrounding the, shaft, a

chamber therein supplied wi iquid, an annularly chambered ring in said casing, lateral the side walls of said ring, a body of ports in mercury in said ring, and a dlsk which enters said chamber in the ring, said mercury being sufficient in quantity to seal the eri hera clearance between said ring and dis w enin rotation and when qriliescent to drain off said liquid from withint e ring. 7

21. A stuffing-box for'rotatingshafts comrisinga casing surrounding the shaft, a chamber therein supplied wit liquid, an annularly chambered ring insaid casing, lateral an annular groove in one of said ring walls into which one or more of said ports. 0 en, a body of mercury in saidring, a disk w ich enters said chamber in the ring, and a su ply 'assage forthe mercury and other liqui whic opens through said casing and discharges directly into said groove.

22. In a liquid shaft packing, thecombination with a revoluble shaft, of a closure f containing'liquid and a ring surrounding said shaft, one of said parts being revolubletherewith, lateral Clo-acting faces on said ring and closure, the joint between which is sealedby said-liquid, and one or more curved grooves in one of. saidlco-actin faces, said mug and closure being relative y adjustable in an axial'direction independent of said shaft.

23. Ina liquid packin a rotating shaft, a stationary packin vcham er, arecessed floating sealing ring t erein, and a disk onsaid shaft which proiects into the recess in said y'as described.

24; In a liquid packing for a rotating shaft, a packing chamber, a floating sealing ring therein, a revolubledisk, and a body of iiqpid' acted upon by said disk'and by the erences in pressures to which the packing is subjected-to seal the clearances in sai packing. w '7 25.111 a packing. for rotating shafts, a

chamber surrounding the shaft, a floating elementtherein, a revoluble disk mounte on the shaftyand, a body of liquid acting to seal the clearances between said disk, ring and chamber, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set "my hand inpresence of twosubscribing witnesses v i v v JAMES WILKINSON.

,Witnesses: i y Y JAMES NOLAN,

CnARLns W. HowAarm v 

